I’ve managed to convince most of the children in our church’s nursery that I am not the enemy. I’m the fun lady who delights in them and is going to play with them until Mom and Dad get back. I’m the one with snacks and a room full of toys. No matter how much fun the children have with me, though, I’m a distant memory when they see their mom or dad again. One glimpse of their beloved parents and their eyes smile as brightly as their grins. Their arms strain to embrace them. Their happy chatter turns to squeals of delight. The ones who love them most have come to take them home.
As I think about the children’s excitement over seeing their parents arrive to pick them up, I try to grasp the magnitude of what our excitement—our delight—will be when we see Jesus come for us at His return. But first, let’s imagine the delight of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as Jesus first came to us in the form of a baby—the divine Son who, now veiled in flesh, came in weakness to fulfill the Godhead’s eternal plan of salvation and make us sons and daughters.
A Crescendo of Delight
Imagine the delight of Jesus’ earthly mother, Mary, at the birth of her most unusual Son. Only she truly knew He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Her fiancé, Joseph, believed. Her cousin Elizabeth believed. But only Mary truly knew. The Word of the Lord delivered by the angel Gabriel had come true. The wonder of it all must have overwhelmed her as she gazed into His blessed face.
What about the delight of the shepherds in the fields that night? The sky filled with heavenly light as the angel announced good news of great joy. “Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11). The Promised One whom all of Israel had longed to see had come to them at last—and in a highly surprising way.
The shepherds’ delight in the news crescendoed after they ran to Bethlehem and found Jesus (their Messiah and Lord) wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger just as the angel had promised. They glorified God and spread the news.
Eight days later, Joseph and Mary carried Jesus into the temple to present Him to God. A man named Simeon took Jesus into his arms and proclaimed overwhelming delight in the Savior’s appearing. Then he spoke foreboding words to Mary that hinted at the reason Jesus came—the cross. “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed—and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34–35).
Delight Is Our Destiny
Why would I bring up the cross on Christmas morning? We don’t want to think about the crucifixion on Christmas any more than Mary wanted to think of His death at His dedication. She wanted to revel in the delight of His birth, and so do we. But the cross is why Jesus left His throne to lie in a manger. The cross is why delight is our destiny if we trust in Him.
Simeon’s words of Jesus’ coming agony may halt our hearts as they did Mary’s, but they also move us past the cruel cross and back into delight as we reflect on our Messiah’s mission.
Jesus came so the thoughts of our hearts—and of those we love—may be revealed, and in their revealing, we might turn to Him and be saved. The Innocent One came for us, the guilty. The Perfect One came to make us whole. The Ruler of the heavens and the earth came because He delights to do His Father’s will. And His Father’s will was that by His blood Jesus would purchase us for Himself—you, me, and all who will trust in Him. He embraced the cross so He could make us His sons and daughters—children who delight in Him and feel His delight forever.
This Christmas, let’s revel in all the pleasures this holy holiday brings. As we consider the presents under our tree (or their disappointing absence) and the loved ones surrounding us (or their absence), let these glorious truths consume and delight us: over two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, the City of David, a Savior was born for us, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Because the Perfect Son delighted His Perfect Father, we who believe in Him will never know a loss He will not redeem. Because God’s one and only Son entered our world, He will take us home to be with Him in His. When our Savior comes again, He’ll make all things new, and our souls will delight in Him and His glory forever and ever.
As we imagine and ponder these truths today and every day, may our eyes smile as brightly as the grins of happy children. May our arms reach to more fully embrace Christ in all His glory. And may our hearts continuously delight in the One who delights in us.
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